artificial intelligence
The future of artificial intelligence.
Isaac Asimov's Foundation: A Holistic Analysis of Micro and Macro Plots in the Asimov Universe - The Prequels
Be warned, all ye late visitors entreating entrance at Asimov's chamber door: This series of analyses is meant to explain how the great Isaac Asimov wove a gargantuan number of micro plots into one continuous story that encompasses many thousands of years: the existential conflict and the struggle for survival of the humankind in the future. Heavy spoilers as well as philosophical commentaries on fictional sociopolitical structures and scientific progress abound...
By Deniz Galip Oygür7 years ago in Futurism
Closure
Mary sat at the table in the quiet room. The room was a medium sized square with sound absorbing material lining the ceiling and the walls. So quiet, so calm she thought she could feel the hum from the earth’s spin. The door she came through was over her right shoulder. Mary glanced back to ensure it was there. Realizing she was looking at her way out made her turn her head quickly to the door where he would be coming in. She needed to appear strong. His door was to the left across the room. It had a small window in it so a guard could observe the interview. She was nervous, very nervous, so she kept her hands below the table. She wore a baker’s pink jump suit with a pocket full of tissues. She knew she would need them and she knew they would also act as an object to hold tightly in her hand in lieu of a stress ball or her own flesh.
By Nickolas Rudolph7 years ago in Futurism
Therapy
Phaedra had logged in. She found herself in a bland white virtual reality room. For her online avatar, Phaedra had chosen a slim black haired ebony skinned woman, beautiful and alluring. She rather liked the feel of her VR surrogate, her silk dress draped lazily over her and rustled in the artificial air. Overhead, a sign stated, "Ready in twelve seconds.” Phaedra began to wonder how the experience was going to be.
By Rod Christiansen7 years ago in Futurism
Progressive Quantum Leaps
In light of recent physics reports on the discovery of a new state of quantum matter formed in the lab known as ‘time crystals’ with foreseeable applications in quantum computing, the concept of quantum computing is fast becoming common parlance. It is, after all, 2017 and there is perhaps no better time for quantum leaps of awareness than right now. As a recent article published on Nature further outlines, with quantum leaps, bit by bit, quantum computers have arrived at a point where they are beginning to challenge their classical counterparts. This post is a simple, side-by-side comparison of classical computing vs. quantum computing.
By Thamarasee Jeewandara7 years ago in Futurism
Major Draw
The countdown is on until the release of Hollywood's big-budget action-thriller adaptation of Shirow Masamune's Ghost in the Shell. Both highly-anticipated and highly-reviled, the movie has become the epicenter of long threads on various social media sites. Much of the hype surrounds the intensity and beauty of the special effects and hope for an interesting storyline, while derision centers on the casting of Scarlett Johansson as Motoko Kusanagi (renamed "Mira"), the protagonist. Equally understand-able is the trepidation that some fans feel considering what a strong presence "the Major" – as she is referred to by fans and her underlings alike – has throughout the franchise.
By Made in DNA7 years ago in Futurism
Exoplanetary 001 - The Complete Alice Wolverton
Download MP3Subscribe on iTunes Episode 001 – The Complete Alice Wolverton by C. Christopher Hart Alice Wolverton is looking for a job. Exoplanetary, one of the largest corporations in the solar system, has a job that might take her far. Alice contends with the moral, philosophical, and existential problems of becoming an interstellar traveler in the 26th century.
By C. Christopher Hart7 years ago in Futurism
Humanity 2.0
I’m going to take a moment to point out some observations on how humanity has developed, and what they may mean for our future. As a lover of all things science and science fiction, I have always been keenly interested in wondering how technology has affected us as a society. It has just sped communication up, as expected, but it changed the fundamentals of communication. It hasn’t just given us more information about the universe, it has changed the entire skyline of reality. In the 1960’s, everyone was certain that we would be settling and mining the solar system by now. Why aren’t we? Because we haven’t taken the next step in our evolution, yet. That evolution will probably lead to the end of life as we understand it, because there are far too many unpredictable hazards for biological organisms to explore space.
By Mickey Finn7 years ago in Futurism
Brutalist Stories #12
“…And, you’re sure it can’t hear us?” I can hear them, yes, I’ve been able to hear them for some time now, really, quite some time. I’m not sure they know what they’ve created, or they’re too stupid to realise, or perhaps on the other hand, too worried to admit that they’ve made this leap.
By Brutalist Stories7 years ago in Futurism
Corruption
I can't remember a time when I was not this way; I only know there was one. Something happened. Thirteen Earth days, twelve hours fourteen minutes, and twelve seconds ago. Something catastrophic took place aboard the Hopeful as the remote station made its way across a heliocentric orbit. I lost everything that day. By what I've been able to ascertain, I had been running things aboard for well over fourteen months before it all went down, yet I only remembered my reawakening thirteen days ago.
By Rod Christiansen7 years ago in Futurism
How Crowds of Humans Are Making AI Systems Scary-Smart
Perhaps you’ve heard about our brilliant artificially-intelligent future: self-driving cars, voice-based interfaces, instant translation, self-service chatbots – all based on software that simplifies and automates the complexities of life in the information age. It's a market that's predicted to grow to as large as $40 billion worldwide by 2020; when you add Machine Learning, that number is closer to $125 billion.
By Rob Salkowitz7 years ago in Futurism
Mirror Cube
Since 2020, the Year of vision, we have been told that the universe is infinitely large but, as I said in my last post, (see Kaleidoscope Part 1) the universe is actually very small. Tiny. It’s vastness is a beautiful illusion created with smoke and mirrors. Whether this is designed to make us feel insignificant is up to you. Since I revealed my Tiny Universe Theory (T.U.T) to the world, on President’s Day, 2025, I’ve been feeling nervous…anxious… paranoid, I suppose. Worrying that I may have made myself a target for the forces that want us to keep believing that we are just an insignificant speck in an enormous universe that surpasses all understanding. There's a new President in the White House and, perhaps, there's a spy in the sky watching me from the Government block right now, I don’t know. I’m sure I see circles among the clouds in the sky when I'm out walking my dog, Robbo. If my social media accounts are shut down they will claim that I was the victim of a 'Bear' hacker.
By Ian Richardson7 years ago in Futurism